


Crushing

by NanamiChiLovesYou



Category: Yakuso no Neverland, 約束のネバーランド | Yakusoku no Neverland | The Promised Neverland (Manga)
Genre: Crushes, Fluff, M/M, No Spoilers, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-11 23:08:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18434021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NanamiChiLovesYou/pseuds/NanamiChiLovesYou
Summary: Norman likes Ray. It's been that was for some time now.He wakes up and meets him in the library. He's not sure how the hell he's survived this long without his heart Literally exploding.





	Crushing

**Author's Note:**

> Hi this is probably OOC but i went self indulgent with this and it's probably not the best and it's kinda cliche but it made me soft so i dont care. Hopefully you enjoy!  
> I'd like to write more stuff, maybe with ray! I jsut... love these babies  
> Also!! Please no spoilers!! I havent gotten around to the manga yet.  
> Criticism is allowed~

Norman's always had feelings for Ray- it's been like this for a while, yet he seemingly did good at not letting it show. Ray thought he liked Emma. Which was laughable, really. But as long as Ray didn't know.

 

Maybe when he was younger it'd be more obvious. He was very attached to Ray back then, but he was young. Anything he said back then didn’t apply to now, apparently. At least he didn't know, but at the same time, it hurt a bit.

 

Norman looks up at the clock. It's 1 am, pretty late. Ray would sometimes be awake at this hour. Mama said it wasn't good to be out after curfew, but it must not be that bad if Ray manages to sneak out all the time. He smiles to himself, sitting up.

 

He must not have been able to sleep… He was thinking too much, huh? Well, no need to worry. He stands up, silent, and leaves the room.

 

The hallways were dark, and he sighs a bit to himself. He was tired- it made him wonder how Ray stayed up this late. He navigates his way through the halls, making it to the open door of the library. He peaks in, hearing Ray hum a tune.

 

He knew the song. He's heard Ray hum it before when he thought no one was listening. He smiles a bit to himself, not making his presence known yet. He just closed his eyes and listened.

 

He's heard Ray sing before, and it's truly beautiful. He's only heard it once or twice, but he holds onto those memories. He just loves so much about Ray. His face heats up, and he wonders if he should actually be meeting him like this. But he was already here.

 

Taking in a breath and calming himself down, he walks into the library, seeing Ray illuminated by the glow of a lamp he had next to him. It'd be easier to turn the lights on, Norman thinks, but he would be lying if he said the sight wasn't pretty.

 

“Norman.” He hums a greeting, setting a thick book aside, Norman wondering how he was even reading it in such low lighting. But he smiles, and gently waves his hand, climbing up the ladder and sitting next to the raven haired boy.

 

“What are you doing so late?” He asks, finding himself whispering. He knows he doesn't need to, but it just felt right. Ray simply shrugs, his fingers tracing over the book he had put to the side.

 

“I could ask the same for you.” He hums, picking his book back up, his eyes locked onto the words. Norman smiles, catching himself staring, being quiet for perhaps a moment too long.

 

“I couldn't sleep.” He says simply, laying back against the shelf. Ray's eyes glance over for a split second, Norman almost missed it. He simply hums, almost amused.

 

“Why not cuddle up with Emma?” He teases, the slightest hint of amusement in his voice. Norman's quiet for a moment, before covering his mouth and giggling into his hand. This catches Ray off guard, raising an eyebrow. He had expected Norman to try and refute his statement, or yelp, or do anything, but instead he was laughing. His eye lingers on Norman's face, trying to read him. But god, was that hard.

 

“Sorry, sorry. But even if I wanted to, it probably wouldn't be allowed… Or Emma would freak out.” He smiles, his eyes closing. “... So you don't want to? I thought you liked her.”

 

Norman's quiet at that, thinking. He hums, shrugging.

“I do like her… But I also like spending time with you.” He smiles, looking over to Ray, blue eyes meeting grey. He's quiet for a moment, before looking back to his book, which he had almost forgotten.

 

“Do whatever you want.” He huffs, blowing some hair out of his face. Norman had to stop himself from brushing it out of the way himself. Too intimate… It'd give him away. He supposes he could blame other things on being tired, but… It's too soon.

He simply smiles and watches the raven haired boy. They stay in a comfortable silence. This was nice.

The night ended with Norman being too tired to stay up, so he went back to the room. He'd definitely have to do that more. He hums as he doses off to sleep.

* * *

They ended up meeting in the library a lot of nights after that. During the day, Norman would vaguely test how the boy handled different types of affection. He didn't seem to mind physical touch, and never pushed him away. He even managed to hold his hand- albeit, it was only because Ray was helping him up, but it was still something!

 

Though, Norman had also noticed some stranger behaviours from the black haired boy. He seemed more… distant. He wonders what had happened. The thought crossed his mind that he may be bothering Ray. He frowns a bit, he hopes that isn't the case.

But, he's read psychology books and… Now that he thinks about it, Ray always did show signs of depression. He always just seemed so... sad. Lonely, even when he was with his family. He wonders if Ray's just been having a bad week. Hopefully he can help out.

 

Stepping into the library, he spots Ray in his usual spot, the moonlight shining from the window perfectly capturing him. He looked beautiful, but… Tired. Norman couldn't help but notice the dark circles under Ray's eyes as he slowly scanned the book he was reading.

 

Norman climbs up, and the other boy spares him a glance, and a quiet ‘hello', before continuing to read. Norman stares as he sits next to the boy. He observed him carefully, the way his eyebrows were furrowed, and his lidded eyes. He looked even more tired up close. Though Norman had started getting dark bags under his eyes as well.

 

“Are you alright?” He asks quietly, and carefully, as if talking any louder would have ruined everything. Ray sighs, resting the book down, and running a hand through his hair.

 

“I'm fine… Just thinking.” He says simply. He knew that wasn't going to cut it, and he expected Norman to pester him with questions, but instead he was met with silence. He glances over, seeing a thoughtful expression on the albino's face.

 

Norman slides ever so slightly closer, a smile on his face. He’s still for a moment, before having a sudden strike of boldness, and he gently puts his hand on top of Ray's. He feels the other flinch, but he doesn't attempt to pull away.

 

“I’m not sure what's bothering you, or if you even want to talk about it… But I'm your friend. I'm here if you need me.” He smiles, noticing his eyes widen ever so slightly. But, he sighs, relaxing a bit, shaking his head.

 

“I'm fine…” He mutters, yet makes no attempt to move away. But that was fine. They both sit in a comfortable silence, bathed in moonlight, as Norman smiles at how warm Ray was.

 

He’s thought about situations like this before. Holding Ray's hand, hugging him, petting his hair, holding him close, and… He feels his face grow warm, and his eyes close. He likes being with the boy…

 

He glances over to Ray, their eyes meet for a split second before the other looks away quickly. He could feel his heart pounding. Was Ray blushing? Or was he just seeing things from being so tired?

Norman smiles, scooting over a bit. At this point, he wondered if Ray has figured him out, yet. It'd be a little funny if he hasn't, especially with everything that's happened between them.

 

There's so many things he could say right now. So many things he could do. But instead, he stays still and silent. It was fine, this was great enough for him. As long as he can make Ray happy, he doesn't care about his own desires.

 

That is, until, he realizes Ray's fallen asleep. It was cute. Really cute. He hadn't expected it, but it seems all of his missed sleep finally caught up to him. Norman couldn't help but stare at how peaceful he looked. His face was soft, and his chest rises and falls slowly. The book from earlier was long forgotten in his lap.

 

Norman raises his hand slowly, hesitating, before gently pushing aside his dark hair. It was soft and smooth… he felt almost greedy for doing this. His heart pounded as he stares, before realizing that laying against the bookcase would probably make him sore in the morning.

 

He panics a bit, knowing he probably wouldn't be able to carry him all the way back to their room. So he acts completely on impulse, which ends up making his heart beat even faster against his chest. He moves carefully, settling Ray down on the floor. He was honestly surprised Ray hasn't woken up. He would probably be uncomfortable on the floor, too, he realizes, mentally hitting himself.

 

He doesn't want to wake him up, he needs the sleep… But he doesn't want Ray to be uncomfortable, either. An idea pops into his head and his face flushes. No, no! He can't do that! His heart wouldn't be able to take it. But, he looks back over to the sleeping Ray.

 

Norman mentally curses himself for this. He slowly pulls the other boy up onto his lap. His hands freeze once he's actually there, and he can hear his heart pounding. At least it’s better than the hard floor… His face was probably beet red.

 

He feels Ray shift ever so slightly, and he immediately tenses, but calms down seeing as he's not awake. He lets out a small sigh of relief, looking down at the boy. He wasn't sure what to do. He knew what he *wanted* to do, but he didn't wanna risk waking Ray up. He instead brushes the hair out of his eyes once more. But when he was going to take his hand away, he felt the other lean into the touch.

 

It was hard to hold back right now. He felt as though all of his feelings for the boy were on display right now. He wasn't sure how he could handle this. He simply keeps his hands in Ray's hair. It was still so soft. He had such pretty black hair… scratch that, everything about him absolutely mesmerized Norman. From the way he talks, to the way he'll occasionally smile at him and Emma… He even liked the more negative parts of him.

 

He sighs, his eyes closing, his hands still unconsciously brushing through Ray's hair. This was nice… Like what he had day dreamed about. He smiles, though it hurts a bit knowing they're not actually… a thing. And it hurts knowing Ray probably doesn't feel the same way. He sighs, laying back against the bookcase. It'd probably make him feel sore in the morning, but he'd worry about that later.

 

… He fell asleep soon after that.

* * *

Ray was the first to wake up.

 

Waking up, he was confused. He was sleeping on… someone. He assumed it was Mama, before remembering he had left for the library. He opens his eyes slowly, looking up to see… Norman. He was asleep.

 

It takes him a minute to process what in the hell is happening. He nearly shoots up when it all reaches him, but realizes that’d wake Norman up. He sighs, slowly sitting up with a red face. He missed the warmth quickly, but shoved that thought out of his head. He should probably do something, maybe wake him up? He isn't sure.

 

His hair falls into his face and he realizes it had been neatly tucked away. God damn it Norman, you're killing him. He pushes a strand back, staring at the albino boy.

 

He was sleeping peacefully, though he was probably uncomfortable… Ray sighs, cursing under his breath. Why does he have to send so many mixed signals? Does he like Emma or not? Why is he so… so… Ugh!

 

He huffs, and stands slowly. But, he stops, frowning a bit. He slowly sits back down next to him. It's okay. They can pretend this never happened. He picks up the books he had forgotten, trying to read, but he can’t seem to focus.

 

It wasn't long until Norman woke up. He was always a light sleeper, anyway. He glances over as the albino boy yawns, opening his eyes. They widen, ever so slightly, before a doe-eyed fondness softens on his face instead. Ray has to look away before he can blush again.

 

“Good morning.” He hums, his voice soft. “I hope you slept well… You seemed really tired.”

 

Ray opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. He supposes he did sleep well. Better than he has in a while anyway. He simply shrugs. Norman hums, scooting closer. He suddenly feels nervous as the other boy stares into his eyes.

They're both dead silent, time seemingly having stopped with Norman up in Ray's face. Dear God, this was the day he dies, huh? God just fucking kills him, huh?

 

“Ah… Well… We should probably go before the others wake up and wonder where we are.” He smiles, but it seemed like he wanted to say something else. He finally pulls away from ray, as if nothing had even happened, and stands up, stretching out.

 

“Yeah…” Ray hesitates his response, still feeling warmth in his face. He stares at the floor. The two sit in a comfortable silence. The clock chimes suddenly, ruining the moment. Norman hums, waving and climbing down the ladder.

 

“Well… I'll see you at breakfast.” And then he's gone.

 

Ray sits there, multiple different thoughts storming in his head. He groans a bit, thudding his head against the cover of the book. Feelings were confusing… Why did Norman have to get into his head like this? 

 

He looks down at his hands, thinking, before sighing. Well… He guesses it's okay… as long as he can protect him and Emma… His feelings may have to wait… but one day… He'll definitely do something.

 

With that in mind, he stands up and leaves for breakfast.


End file.
